Negotiator

• U.S. and Iranian negotiators are entering high-stakes talks to end the current conflict and secure a favorable deal for both nations. • Key points of contention include the release of billions in frozen assets, the status of a $300 billion reconstruction fund, and the ambiguity of Iran's nuclear program. • The negotiations follow U.S. and Israeli strikes last summer that targeted critical Iranian facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

• Former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier stated that the UK could potentially rejoin the European Union on a "short" timeline if the political will exists. • Barnier suggested that the UK could also integrate into a newly proposed European security and defence council to strengthen regional stability. • Separately, leaders from the Visegrad Four (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) are meeting in Hungary to revive their regional grouping.

• Former EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier suggested that the UK could potentially rejoin the European Union under "special" terms. • This proposal comes roughly a decade after the UK's referendum decision to leave the bloc, highlighting a possible path for future reintegration. • A key point of negotiation would be currency, as current EU law requires member states to adopt the euro, with Denmark being the only permanent exception.

• Rustem Umerov, a top negotiator for President Zelenskyy, has traveled to Berlin to hold high-level meetings with national security advisers from Germany, France, and the U.K. (the E3 group). • The discussions occur during a period of escalating Russian threats against Kyiv and ongoing diplomatic tensions regarding Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. • These talks are critical for coordinating Western security support and diplomatic strategies to counter Russian aggression while navigating Ukraine's integration into European structures.

US Central Command claims targets also included boats trying to lay mines, rattling ceasefire, while Iranians meet with Qatari prime minister in DohaIsrael escalates strikes in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows to ‘crush’ HezbollahWelcome to the Guardian’s continuing live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war.Trump said the enriched uranium held by Iran could be destroyed inside the country, in a process overseen by an international nuclear agency. Experts said his announcement could amount to a major concession to Tehran.Trump also said any deal to end the war with Iran should require certain countries in the region – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan – to sign up to the Abraham accords. The agreements aimed at normalising relations with Israel were brokered by the US during Trump’s first term.Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon, dealing another blow to hopes for a US-Iran deal. Tehran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi praised Hezbollah for the Tehran-backed militant group’s ongoing resistance in Lebanon against Israel. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says Europe must ‘have a strong voice and presence’ amid search for candidate who could lead any talks with PutinUkraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested last night that the time has come for Europe to pick its preferred negotiator for eventual peace talks with Russia.After talking with the European Council president, António Costa, Zelenskyy said they agreed that “Europe must be involved in the negotiations,” and to “have a strong voice and presence in this process.” Continue reading...

Appointment of Roelf Meyer seen as attempt to improve relations amid false US accusations of genocide against AfrikanersSouth Africa has appointed a former apartheid government chief negotiator during the talks that ended white rule in the 1990s as ambassador to the US, in what is seen as an attempt to improve the deeply strained diplomatic relationship between the two countries.Roelf Meyer replaces Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled in March 2025 after he criticised the Trump administration. Continue reading...